A 2 Steam

Call of Juarez - Gunslinger

I like westerns but sadly its become a bit of a lost genre. In movies, video and board games they are rare, and a good one is even harder to come by, so thank goodness for Call of Juarez - Gunslinger!

Gunslinger is a first person shooter and the third Call of Juarez game (the other two are unconnected afaik). It was released a few years ago in 2013 and can be picked up for $15, but often can be found cheap on the Steam sales. Four years can be a long time in gaming but Gunslinger hold up very well - both graphically and control wise. You play Silias Greaves, a bounty hunter with a tall tale (or two) to tell and a small cast of characters that make up the interactive audience.

It's a really beautiful game, the style of presentation and the actual environments were given a lot of care, it oozes old west charm top to bottom. From heavily detailed towns with debris (which get fantastically shot up in the gunfights) and tumbleweeds to fantastic forests, mountains, rivers and more. Even the flocks of birds that fly overhead look good (usually something that sticks out poorly). The game gives you time to both admire the scenery while the story builds and as you anticipate the inevitable shootout. When all hell breaks loose and the bullets are flying, bottles, windows exploding, wood splinters and smoke obscuring your targets, it really comes alive.

And the shootouts feel good. The controls are tight (I played with mouse and keyboard) and responsive. The guns (your choices of pistols, rifles and shotguns) both sound and look great. I mostly used the rifle during the outside portions of the game and dual pistols when in close quarters as the reload time on the shotgun was too long for my liking. That being said the game even makes reloading somewhat interactive at a certain point as you can hammer the "r" key (for reload) to load bullets faster into the spinning chamber of your revolver. You can take 4 or 5 hits before being killed and hiding behind cover will recover your "health" so it does follow the standard modern cover shooter pacing in some ways but as most cover is temporary (being blown to bits by gunfire as you desperately hunker down) being on the offensive is more important to survival in the long run.

As the shootouts progress you gain concentration that can be spent for what is essentially a fancy bullet time that highlights all the enemies in red for a couple of seconds as you get to aim and snap off shots in real time. It's awesome. It feels really good and makes you want to do it all the time. Sometimes the game will give you a little bit of free bullet time when you kick in a door which is also great. You want to use it all the time and that gauge cannot fill up fast enough. 

There is a skill "tree" (of course) and you gain experience (of course you do) as you pull off specific shots (head shots, quick draw, etc.) and find collectibles (because of course there are). I am biased against skill trees in games like these and this one doesn't really do anything special. Some of the skills are weak/pointless and the fun ones that actually change the way you play the game would have been better served by just giving those skills to the player during the appropriate story segments (like after the first time you fight a dynamite throwing enemy you could gain the skill that helps with shooting the sticks out of the air). Take enough skills in a certain category and you unlock a golden version of one of the guns (does more damage, more accurate, etc.).

While Gunslinger looks great and feels great to play the one thing that really sets it apart is the story. It's a revenge tale and as old west as you can get for the genre. Silias narrates a fantastic tale while the other characters at the salon chime in with commentary, doubts, questions - accompanied by top notch voice acting. There are some very unique methods to how the story is told, from rewinding a scene you just played when Silias remembers something he forgot to dropping the game into a browned out slow motion when the story is interrupted by the other characters. There are tons of small touches throughout the story that I won't spoil here but it makes each bit of narration a thing to look forwards too.

Each chapter of the story is punctuated with a duel. These duels are both really cool and atmospheric and very aggravating. It took me a long time to get the hang of them (I must have died a dozen times each to the first few). They reward quick reflexes, something I seem to be lacking in recent years. With one eye you have to keep the drifting reticle centered on the enemy, with the other you need to keep track of your draw speed by tapping "a" and "d". And listen for the heartbeat. Once you get the hang of them they aren't so bad but I feel they are a real game breaker for anyone who can't get past them (some type of auto success after a dozen fails would be nice *wink*).

Other than a few really difficult encounters (damn you gattling gun!) the pacing of the game is good and it will probably take 6-8 hours to get through it. As someone who appreciates a shorter more tightly focused game this is a real plus.

With exciting shootouts, a good soundtrack and a fantastically told old west story, it's a game that both looks and plays great. It took me a while to get to Call of Juarez - Gunslinger but I am very happy to have now done so.